Creating a Positive Workplace Environment

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  CTE Lesson Plan

• CTE Course Info and Benchmark Notes

  
  

  Career Cluster: Business Management and Administration

  Program Name: Business Leadership Skills

  CIP Number: 05079999LS

  Course Name: N/A

  Course Number: 8200120

  Course Type: Orientation/Exploratory

  CTE Standard(s) or benchmarks:

  04.01 Demonstrate leadership skills needed to develop a positive work environment.

  04.02 Apply appropriate strategies to manage conflict in work situations

• Unit Outline

  
  

  This lesson is designed to be used with the case study, “Out with the Old in with the New.” See CPALMS resource ID# 209581.

• Career Connection

  
  

  In this lesson, students will discuss the importance of a positive work environment, analyze the effects of differing leadership styles, and identify ways to manage workplace conflicts. Students will also discuss ways in which leaders can improve their performance.

• Learning Objectives

  
  

  Students will be able to:

  • Identify ways to manage workplace conflicts.
  • Identify aspects of a positive environment.
  • Analyze leadership skills that promote a positive work environment.
  • Assess 2 differing styles of leadership performance by role-playing two differeing styles of leadership performance.
  • Identify ways a leader can improve their leadership skills.

• Prior Knowledge

  
  

  Students should be familiar with/able to:

  • Identify elements of a positive environment.
  • Collaborate with a partner.
  • Identify conflict/resolution strategies.

• Guiding Questions

  
  
  • What makes an environment positive?
  • How can a leader develop and maintain a positive work environment?
  • What are some ways people can resolve conflicts with others?

• Procedure

  
  
  1. To introduce the lesson, teacher can group students and pose the following question, “What makes an environment positive?” If needed, teacher can provide examples of different environments for students such as a classroom, office, or business.
     • Allow students time to discuss, provide notecards or sticky notes to jot down key words. Teacher may have students place sticky notes in a designated area of the classroom.
     • Students can be selected to choose a sticky note and share out ideas to facilitate group discussion or teacher can read out words and poll the class by asking if the students agree or disagree with the selected idea/word.
     • After whole group discussion, teacher can pose the following guiding question, “How can a leader develop and maintain a positive work environment?”
     • Teacher can facilitate a whole group discussion about ways to resolve a conflict having students share out their own personal ways of peacefully resolving conflicts.
  2. Distribute the case study, Out with the Old in with the New CPALMS Resource ID # 209581 and allow students time to read the case study individually or with a partner.
  3. Set the purpose of the lesson. In pairs, students will analyze and evaluate the different leadership styles of the managers in the case study and identify elements of a positive work environment that are not represented.
     • Teacher can pass out the handout Case Study Guided Discussion. Teacher may choose to display handout on a whiteboard for whole group instruction, before moving into independent work.
     • With their partner, students will complete a second read of the case study focusing their discussion on the guided questions provided.
     • Teacher can circulate the room to help keep student discussions focused on the case study and to provide any support or redirection as needed.
  4. After students have had time to work on the guided discussion questions, a whole group discussion to check for understanding can be used. The follow up questions below can be discussed as a whole group or split up and assigned to small groups:
     • What are some reasons why Angela is behaving this way towards her employees and Marco?
     • Why is it important for managers to be able to maintain a positive work environment and positive attitude?
     • Are Angela and Marco’s perspectives on the conflict the same or different, explain your answer.
     • What are some ways that either Marco or Angela could go about resolving their conflict?
  5. Provide students with the handout, Outcome Scenario, in the same pairs that read the case study together. Students will plan out one role-play based on 3 different outcome scenarios.
     • Provide students time to plan their role-play based on their paired and whole group discussions.
     • Circulate the room to check-in with students, redirect their focus and provide any needed support.
  6. Once pairs have complete their roleplay scenario plan, this can be presented to another group.
     • Teacher can post the following questions to guide the activity:
       • Identify one conflict resolution strategy.
       • Did this outcome support a positive work environment or not? Explain.
       • What role did communication play in this scenario?
       • What is one difference you noticed in the 2 leadership styles?
     • The students that are the 'audience' will jot down notes based on the teacher provided questions. The pairs will then switch roles and the other group will be the 'audience.'
  7. To bring the lesson to a close, conduct a review of the initial discussion question, “What makes an environment positive?”
     • Students will discuss if they still agree with their initial ideas or if there are changes or additions after having completed the lesson.
     • Teacher can choose to do a visual poll of students who agree or disagree with their original ideas, or use sticky notes to add a new description of what a positive environment is.

• Teacher Notes

  
  
  • Suggested pacing: Allow 5 minutes for the introduction of the lesson, 20 minutes for reading of the case study and guided discussion, 10 minutes for follow up discussion before the activity, 15 minutes for students to work on their outcome scenario and 10 minutes for the groups to present to one another.
  • If short on time, choose 1 or 2 of the follow up discussion questions to review before moving on to the outcome scenario roleplay activity.

• Optional

  
  
  • This lesson can be completed over 2 classes if extra time is needed.